Tyler Farr Keeps One St. Jude Patient Close at All Times

Tyler Farr goes out of his way to help children -- especially the children at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. The 'Whiskey in My Water' singer has made it to three of the last four Country Cares seminars, forging strong relationships with patients and families each time.

“There’s very few things that tear me up and get me," Farr reveals to Taste of Country, "but kids, especially terminally ill kids or kids with diseases … gets me every time.”

Before his first visit to St. Jude, Farr expected to be devastated by what he'd see, but he walked away inspired by this happy place. Little things, like an ocean-themed room with a full aquarium, left a mark on him. It was obvious that every single staff member and volunteer was doing all they could to help the kids.

“It’s almost like a Candyland for kids, it’s not a sad place," Farr, a former recreational therapist at a children's rehabilitation facility in Missouri, adds. He caught up with ToC before a tour stop in Beaumont, Texas, where he was in the middle of a 14-day stretch without a night off, but made time to talk about St. Jude.

"It made me want to complain a whole lot less. Here’s these kids that were not even given a chance, and here I am complaining to Billy Dukes about doing 14 shows back to back,” he adds, laughing.

One little girl during Farr's first visit has remained in his memory -- and his truck -- since. “I remember this little girl. I have her bracelet -- it hangs on the key ring of my truck -- that we made together while I was there two years back," Farr reveals.

Her parents didn't know if she'd live another week, but a year later, Farr went back to the hospital and there she was, still surviving. Still fighting.

Little girls like her and stories like these are the reason Taste of Country has pressed pause on coverage of news stories in an effort to raise money for St. Jude. For 25 years, country radio, artists and record labels have helped raise more than $500 million, ensuring that no one ever pays a dime for treatment at St. Jude.

“No child should die in the dawn of life,” founder Danny Thomas once said. Help make that wish a reality by making a donation or becoming a Partner in Hope when you click the button below. Donations can be made by phone at 800-411-9898.